Archive
REVIEW: Raquy & the Cavemen @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – – 4/30/08)
Raquy and the Cavemen put on a great show last night at Cozmic Pizza. They had put out two CDs since we saw them last time in Cincinnati; so we snagged those (2007’s Naked & 2008’s Mischief). They played almost exclusively from those two CDs (per Raquy & Liron’s onstage banter).
The band is made up of Raquy (pronounced “Rocky”) on dumbek and kemanche (not to be confused with a jalebi); Liron on dumbek, guitar, and riq; and Nezih (per their webpage) on riq, davul, and dumbek. Liron was dred-free since the last time we saw him… he got shorn last time he passed through Cincinnati by the Gaiananda peeps.
Their first few tunes featured Raquy beautifully on kemanche (a violin-type instrument), and she switched between the kemanche and dumbek throughout the night. About three or four songs in, they played a song that featured all three members on a drum of some sort, and it was mezmerizing how in-sync and fast they played. They cued each other with quick hand signals and eye movements, and they played wicked fast (at least for my fat little fingers to try to do).
After about 40 minutes (or so), they invited Eugene-based bellydance troupe Tribalation (led by Sabine) to dance along to the tunes. Tribalation danced to about 4 songs (one with Sabine doing some amazing dual-sword work). The end of the show had about 2 or 3 “open dance” songs. This was clearly right up my alley… as I did the “take the plates to the bin and napkins to the trash can” dance that I learned as a young child growing up in Nigeria*.
We also found out that Raquy has a sister who lives in Eugene (she ran merch last night). That’s exciting, because it means that these Brooklynites make their way here at least once a year. :-)
The appropriate linkage:
http://www.myspace.com/lironpeled
Liron being shorn in Cincinnati
http://www.sabinedance.com/
http://www.cozmicpizza.com/
I’d post some of our own pictures of the show… alas, they were all either dark (due to the flash & low stage lighting) or blurry (due to no flash).
~Dan – np: Dub Trio – Another Sound is Dying
*- NOTE: I am from Nigeria, I did take plates and napkins away… alas, it wasn’t a dance.
REVIEW: Ani DiFranco @ McDonald Theatre (Eugene, OR – – 4/16/08)
Wow… great show last night from Ani and her compadres…
The opener was poet Judy Grahn‘s spoken word to beats and such from Animal Prufrock (formerly of Bitch & Animal) and guitarist Anne Carol. They played about 35-40 minutes. The songs/poems they played are presumed to be something along the lines of…
- Bowls
- Emotional Boner
- Vampires
- Mental
- Love Me
- The Forest
- Bledsung
- (unknown)
- Walk & Taxi Back (my favorite of their set)
Ani DiFranco came around 9pm, played for just over an hour and a half. The background was really cool (but simple). It was a big curtain with different colored lights. McDonald Theatre didn’t seem to pull this out for That1Guy & Buckethead last month… alas, it was nice for Ani’s backdrop.
The last few times that I’d seen her, she only had bass accompaniment from Todd Sickafoose (who has not one but two nice jazz recordings). This time, she also had Allison Miller on drums and Mike Dylan (or Dillon) on xylophone (or was it a vibraphone?) and bongos.
Set list:
- Shy
- Half-Assed
- Not a Pretty Girl
- Swim
- Lag Time
- Decree
- Napoleon
- As Is (a favorite of the night)
- Subdivision (a favorite of the night)
- Here For Now
- Swan Dive (a favorite of the night)
- Fire Door
- Anticipate
- The Atom (new song, presumed title)
- Alla This / Bankroll (new song, two titles floating around the internets)
- In the Way
- Shameless (a favorite of the night)
- Encore: Gravel
- Hypnotized
Eight times in eight years… it’s a good annual (or so) tradition to see Ani at work. The new songs seemed familiar; so perhaps she played them last year on tour, too. I look forward to her next album, which is probably “due” in 55 days based on the scientifically syncronized Ani DiFranco album gestation calendar (currently 9.16 months per Ani release, and 6.46 months if the “official bootleg” live albums are brought into the mix)*.
~Dan – np: klezmer podcast no. 33 (here)
*- Go on, tell yourself that I’m making these numbers up. The sad truth. I’m not.
mini-REVIEW: Dominique Leone @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – – 4/2/08)
über-mini review… saw Dominique Leone (from Texas) yesterday at Cozmic Pizza. Great stuff. Quirky, keyboard-and-flute-based avant-pop(?) with vocals not unlike some of the Danielson Familie (in spots). I dug it…
http://www.myspace.com/dominiqueleone
~Dan
REVIEW: That1Guy & Buckethead @ McDonald Theatre (Eugene, OR – – 3/22/08)
’twas an oddrocker double bill yesterday… That1Guy and Buckethead.
This was my fourth time seeing Mr. 1Guy. My review of his show last fall is here. That1Guy started right after 9pm and played for just about an hour. He started out with the haunting strings of “Forgotten Whales” (a song that actually made it on our wedding CDs for the dinner… teehee). He played a lot of instrumental tracks on the magic pipe (a big metal pipe jacked up on electricity), but he also did “Buttmachine,” “Weasel Pot Pie,” and “The Moon is Disgusting.” I kinda wish he would’a done “One,” alas he didn’t. He pulled out the magic boot (a cowboy boot jacked up on electricity)… it’s got a nice tabla-like sound. He also pulled out the magic saw (a large saw jacked up on electricity) and played “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” A couple times in his set he went to a very repetitive place, alas, still an overall great show from That1Guy. Check him out sometime if he comes to your town… todays show was a solid 4.5 stars.
Check out some videos of That1Guy (click the pictures)…
Live in Oz:
One:
Buttmachine:
Buckethead went on at 10:30pm. This was my third time seeing him, and my wife’s first time. I was bummed with no live band backing him. He played along to drum & bass & ’lectronic DAT tracks… that were TOO LOUD. It was too hard to hear him play his guitar half the time. Plus the live band atmosphere is much better. Anyway, he started out with “Jump Man/Night of the Slunk”… played a bunch of other stuff… also played “Stick Pit”… we had to leave 45 minutes in. The volume levels were PAINFUL (and we had earplugs in)… but not so much the guitar volume levels, mainly the backing tracks… ::sigh:: Guitars: 4.5 stars… everything else: 2 stars… so much so that it was unenjoyable past 45 minutes. I totally missed the potential for his patented nun-chuk robot dancing.
I hope to see him again soon (July in Dayton with my brother, maybe)… I hope he has his band back with him.
The appropriate linkage:
mini-REVIEW: Slavic Soul Party! @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – – 2/28/08)
well, in keeping with an unwritten “review the shows I see” pact… here’s a mini review…
Slavic Soul Party! at Cozmic Pizza on Thursday was fantastic. They went on shortly after 9:30, took a short break, and then started a 2nd set. I had to leave at 11pm (I was heading up to Seattle the next day for school). Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed their music. They are a 9-piece instrumental band with an occassional singer on a little bit less than half of their songs (the singer was also fantastic). The nine-pieces: drum-mer, snare-drum-mer, tuba-er, trombone-r x 2, trumpet-er x 2, clarinet/saxophon-ist, and accordion-squeezer.
At one point, they invited musicians from UOregon to join them for a song (SSP! taught a ‘master’s class’ that day at the university). With UO musicians, they had 21 people playing a tune, complete with student and band member trumpet solos.
“gypsy funk balkan soul“… Fun stuff… check them out on the MySpaces: http://www.myspace.com/slavicsoulparty
~Dan – np: Osso plays Sufjan on WNYC
mini-REVIEW: Bela Fleck & Oregon Symphony Orchestra (Portland, OR – – 2/23/08)
Mini-review… we had to leave at the intermission due to a rapid onset illness… alas, still a good music intake (roughly an hour)…
Our seats were in a good spot, and cheap, too… student rates rock! we shuffled in right as it was starting… the Oregon Symphony Orchestra (based in Portland) was led by Gregory Vajda. They played two pieces prior to Béla Fleck and the Flecktones coming on stage… “The Cowboys Overture” (by John Williams) and “An American Treasure” (by Hoagy Carmichael).
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones came on and played two (long) songs by themselves, then they played about 2 or 3 songs with the OSO. It was a fantastic hourlong 1st set. Béla’s got a very non-hillbilly banjo style. :) Sorta classical meets jazz meets rock. The Flecktones are fantastic, too. Victor Wooten is one of the most melodic bassists around… great style. I think he was playing a fretless electric. Jeff Coffin is a great reedman. He played saxophone and did the two-at-a-time trick, too. Fun stuff. And Future Man… well, his drum contraption is crazy (live drums hooked up to a guitar-looking instrument used to triggers them — picture below).
Anyway, great 1st set. We weren’t able to stick around, but it was some good music, what we caught of it…
The Appropriate Linkage:
http://www.orsymphony.org/
http://www.myspace.com/belaflecktones
http://www.myspace.com/victorw0010 (likely unofficial)
http://www.myspace.com/jeffcoffinmutet
http://www.myspace.com/futuremanmusic
~Dan
REVIEW: Glen Phillips & J.Kingham @ W.O.W. Hall (Eugene, OR – – 2/21/08)
All-in-all, it was a very enjoyable evening. The opener was great, and Glen played a great, long set as well. I’ll be brief in my review because I’ve got too much homework… so here goes…
Jonathan Kingham’s set:
I’ll Be the One (nice R&B tune)
All That’s Missing Is You
Every Little Step [Bobby Brown] (fantastic, long free-style rap)
Grace (with Glen on backing vocals)
/ 
Glen Phillips’ set:
Courage
Easier
Return to Me *new on EP* (he’s trying to corner the market on privatized space travel EPs)
Back On My Feet
I Could End This Now (?)
Walk On the Ocean
Drive By
I Still See You As You Are *new band -tbd-*
Rise Up *new band -tbd-* (on Concert to End Slavery compilation)
Brother
(The rest of the songs also had JK on guitar & backing vocals)
Duck and Cover
I Want a New Drug [Huey Lewis]
Solar Flare *new on EP* (the world’s 1st childrens’ song about radiation sickness)
True
Train Wreck (I had no idea this was about a friend on meth… yikes)
Waiting
Released
Last Sunset
Dam Would Break
All I Want
Everything But You
Click on the picture to get Glen’s new CD, Secrets of the New Explorers:
It was a GREAT show all around. If only more people showed up… hrmph… well, there’s always next time he swings through Eugene. Otherwise, we’ll make the trek up to PDX to see him… as we need our occassional Glen fix.
~Dan – np: Estradasphere – The Pegasus Vault -EP-
REVIEW: Ornette Coleman and SFJazz Collective @ PDX Jazz fest (Portland – – 2/15/08)
Gettin’ there… oy… bad “car on fire” accident just outside of Salem. Parking around the venue was wicked bad. It’s near Portland State University… which automatically means “minimal parking options” and there were tons of roads closed for construction… I ended up parking about a mile away. Grabbed a notdog from a hotdog shop en route. It was a yummy spicy Boca variety. Yay! I love living in Oregon — you can actually get a non-meat protein, horseradish-and-ketchup-into-your-system delivery device in a fauxtube-steak format from a fastfood-type outlet.
Anyway, post-dawg… I showed up at the venue at 7:23pm for the 7:30 show. I ran part of the way; so it was a close one…
Ornette Coleman @ the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
The main dude (artistic director) for the PDX Jazz Fest 503(c)(3) looked sorta like James Randi — alas, he wasn’t (he’s Bill Royston). He announced the sponsors: Oregonian A&E, Qwest Communications, and the Portland Trailblazers. My a priori understanding of the Oregonian A&E is that they have TV shows of Criss Angel-types who make your pilate mat and hummus plate disappear while playing indie rock in the background at silly volumes. I might be wrong, though. Qwest Communications is most famously known for providing reasonably-priced, high-speed internets that aren’t available at my address. The Portland Trailblazers play what I understand to be a game called “basketball.” It’s like a big game of team-based ping-pong. Except the table is huge, you stand on it, and the net isn’t in the middle, it’s on the ends of the huge table. Oh, and you can hit the net, but you don’t use paddles. You use your hands!! Oh, and the ball is huge and not made out of plastic. So, the Trailblazers are basically a ping-pong team. Once Mr. Royston got the sponsors out of the way, he introduced SF Jazz’s Joe Lovano who introduced Ornette Coleman…
Ornette started playing around 7:40pm… his band wasn’t the band from his last CD (the Pulitzer Prize winning Sound Grammar); and I didn’t get their names, as they weren’t listed in the program. He had a drummer (possibly his son), a guitarist, and two bassists (one upright, one electric). I’m more horrible with Ornette’s song names than just about anyone, though. I do know for a fact that he played “Lonely Woman” (from The Shape of Jazz to Come). I also think he played “Song X.” He only announced one song from the stage (the opener to the set), but he’s got a slight lisp and the mic wasn’t on all the way. It sounded like he said “Buttered Helen.” So, yeah, I don’t know. He and his band played a blistering hour+twentyfive improv set, only stopping briefly prior to the encore. Ornette primarily played his trend-bucking non-metallic white sax. He also played violin (lefty) and trumpet during some songs. It was a brilliant free jazz set all around. I’m thoroughly glad that I got to see this pioneer of the free jazz movement.
I left as the band left the stage the second time… to get to the Newmark Theatre for Round 2 of the PDX Jazz Fest. Luckily the Newmark Theatre is 50 yards away, if that. Which was good, because as I was planning online, Ask.com’s maps… well, they’re utter crap. It said the venues were 1.2 miles away by foot. Wrong!
SF Jazz Collective @ the Newmark Theatre
Mr. Royston announced a new sponsor for this SFJC show: American Airlines. I hear that they are a busline that provides “air vents” for every passenger’s seat. Seems “OK” for a bus trip. I’d rather fly, though. He then introduced The Bad Plus (who I wish I could have seen last week in Eugene, they rock) who introduced the 8-piece SF Jazz Collective…
SF Jazz Collective is a group that is commissioned each year to arrange and play the works of a jazz great. Past years have been Ornette Coleman (2004), John Coltrane (2005), Herbie Hancock (2006), and Thelonious Monk (2007). This year’s group arranged Wayne Shorter tunes. I haven’t gotten into Wayne Shorter (yet), but I know he played with Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and he’s on Herbie Hancock’s V.S.O.P.. Oh, I guess I’ve also heard his band Weather Report. So, I lied, I have gotten into him at least through WR and Herbie… Anyway, the SF Jazz Collective build a new repertoire each year based on a jazz great and then they all each write a new tune for the group.
The band for 2008 (links and instruments below) is Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas (one of my fav jazzmen), Stefon Harris, Miguel Zenón, Robin Eubanks, Renee Rosnes, Matt Penman, and Eric Harland. This was Dave’s 2nd season with the group. This show was their first show of the 2008 season, but they were far from rusty. They played for about an hour and half before I left (I had to bail half way through the encore in order to get home by 1am… oy). They announced their songs from stage, and they had a handy-dandy program available, too. Here’s what they played: “Go” [Wayne Shorter: hereafter WS], “Armageddon” [WS], “The Angel’s Share” [Matt Penman], “The Year 2008” [Eric Harland], “Black Nile” [WS], “Infant Eyes” [WS], “Secrets of the Code” [Dave Douglas], and the encore was announced by the pianist as “another Wayne Shorter tune that I’m sure you know.” Alas, I didn’t know it. It started out with piano… so I’ll leave it at that.
8 songs, 90 minutes. You do the math (I’ll give you a hint: divide, don’t multiply. Show all work to receive partial credit).
Also in their 2008 repertoire (sets change nightly): Wayne Shorter tunes “Aung San Suu Kyi,” “Diana,” “Footprints,” “El Guacho,” and “Yes or No.” Band member tunes “Aurora Borealis” [Renee Rosnes], “Frontline” [Miguel Zenón], “Road to Dharma” [Stefon Harris], “This That and the Other” [Joe Lovano], and “Breakthrough” [Robin Eubanks].
Oh, I forgot to say… somehow my ticket for SFJC was in the “wheelchair section.” That ruckin’ focked!! I could spread out. Totally luck of the draw on the ticket… but I tain’t complainin’…
The Appropriate Linkage:
- PDX Jazz
- Ornette Coleman
- Ornette Coleman on MySp
- SFJazz Collective
- Dave Douglas (trumpet)
- Dave Douglas on MySp
- Joe Lovano (tenor sax)
- Miguel Zenón (alto sax) – 2008 MacArthur Foundation Grant recipient
- Stefon Harris (vibraphone)
- Robin Eubanks (trombone)
- Renee Rosnes (piano)
- Matt Penman (bass)
- Eric Harland (drums)
yay… Glen Phillips and Belà Fleck next week…
~Dan – np: Charlie Hunter Trio – Copperopolis
EDIT (4/7/08): Allaboutjazz.com has a nice review of the Ornette show HERE
REVIEW: Talkdemonic @ Sam Bond’s Garage (Eugene, OR – – 2/9/08)
Sam Bond’s Garage is a small venue with good pizza and beer on tap. Small venue meant having to show up early (ugh). I showed up at around 8:30 for the 9:30 show. Alas, the band, Talkdemonic, was all set-up and ready to go. Score!
Then… around 9pm three guys walk in, talk to the guy up front, and then go tell Talkdemonic that they are the opener and need to set up. So, Talkdemonic need to move their stuff from the stage so this other band (Heavenly Oceans) can set-up. Unscore?
By 9:50 or so the Heavenly Oceans were playing. They are a three-piece instrumental band from Eugene… guitar, drummer, and percussion/ blowy-toy-piano guy. Kind of a surf-rock-meets-exotica band. To explain (as my wife didn’t know what I was talking about, I figure others won’t either), “exotica” can be easily called “spy movie music” (Ennio Morricone, et al).
Anyway, I dug (the) Heavenly Oceans a-plenty. They sell these their vinyl albums with these things called “compact discs” in them… which is a nice treat for an audiophile who also wants to be able to rip the music to an iPod. :) Alas, I didn’t pick up their record on Saturday (I was short on cash), but I shall hunt it down sometime in the near future… so, not unscore… Score!
Talkdemonic, went on next… I got into them while browsing the racks at Gem City Music in Dayton, Ohio, a few years ago. Talkdemonic is a two-person band from Portland, Oregon. It’s Lisa Molinaro on viola and Kevin O’Connor on drums. They also have a laptop with pre-recorded beats, banjo, whatnot. They also busted out a blowy-toy-piano (what the hell’s it called?). Antithetical to their naming, they are instrumental (not talky) and quite delightful (not demonic*). They play what might be called electroacoustic chamber rock, or post-rock.
They were much rockier than expected… I even had to bust out the earplugs due to scoring such a close seat. :-) I’m horrible with their song names (as I am with most other post-rock outfits). I do know that they played “Final Russian” and “Manhattan ’81.” I also think they played “White Gymnasium” and “Cascade Locks.” They played a great mix of songs, regardless of my knowledge of names (*blush*). They also played some new songs from their forthcoming third record (due out later this year). Seeing as Eugene’s only 1.5-2 hours away from their homebase, I hope I’ll see more of Talkdemonic in the future.
*- assuming a standard definition of “demonic,” mind you… some people do indeed find demonic music delightful. I may even be considered one of those people from time to time.
The required linkage:
http://www.myspace.com/talkdemonicmusicmaking
http://www.myspace.com/heavenlyoceans
Next shows:
* Ornette Coleman @ PDX Jazz Fest, 2/15
* SFJazz Collective (with Dave Douglas, etc) @ PDX Jazz Fest, 2/15
* Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) @ WOW Hall, 2/21
* Belà Fleck, the Flecktones, and the Oregon Symphony Orchestra @ PDX Jazz Fest, 2/23
word,
Dan – np: Ornette Coleman – the Pulitzer Prize winning Sound Grammar
REVIEW: Peter Evans & Dave Swigart @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – – 2/4/08)
Randomingly spotting of a picture of a guy with a trumpet in Eugene Weekly led to quite an enjoyable evening of music. I imagine I’ll be seeing a lot of artists at Cozmic Pizza over the coming years while I’m here in Eugene. I love the beer, pizza, and desserts. And they bring in some great musical talent, and quite frequently get good jazz artists in the door as well. Monday’s show was no different… pizza, beer and jazz.
Opener: Dave Swigart Collective / Quintet / Group / Whathaveyou put on a great set. Dave Swigart is a UO music student, and his ensemble, while young, has some great chops. The quintet (I didn’t write names down) was comprised of Dave Swigart on trumpet, and then a saxophonist, guitarist, upright bassist, and drummer. Dave’s got some MySpace profiles up (here – and here), and I hope to check him out again soon.
The group played for about an hour, playing some standards and originals: “In a Silent Way” (Miles Davis/Joe Zawinul), “The Fragile” (NIN), “Salad Song” (with some nice Zorn-y sax work), “Strange Day,” “Johnsburg, Illinois” (Tom Waits), “Grocery Shop, Funky? A Little?” (smooth), and “Dream Comes Play With Me” (Cuong Vu).
Peter Evans (MySpace – and here – and also here) came on around 10:20pm. I stayed until about 11pm… as he blasted his solo trumpet improv. Being a fan of the downtown (NYC) jazz scene, his experimental solo trumpet was right up my alley. It was a little loud at times (I was too close to a speaker), but luckily I had my Hearos—. He played one continuous onslaught that can best be described as this:
Great show all around… I wish I could have stayed longer, alas it was a school night…
~Dan – np: David Buchbinder – Odessa/Havana
the guy with the shirt, the other guy with the pipe, and the guy with the hat walk into a bar
Three blogs within 24 hours… oy, not a good sign.
Anyway, I’m exicted about two more shows coming up (I love living in a cool college town)…
NYC trumpeter Peter Evans is playing at Cozmic Pizza on Monday, Feb 4th. He’s adventurous, he’s played with John Zorn in the past (yay), and his band projects (Mostly Other People Do the Killing and Spärks) sound cool, too.
http://www.myspace.com/peterevanstrumpet
http://www.myspace.com/mostlyotherpeopledothekilling
http://www.myspace.com/nycsparks
And then… That1Guy and Buckethead on the same bill (Eugene’s McDonald Theatre on Saturday, March 22nd). Cool. It’s the Saturday after finals… and my wife says she’s up for the challenge (she likes That1Guy enough, but has only really been “confronted” by Buckethead’s calmer stuff… as it’s good for massages and our weddings CDs, but not what he really does “in concert,” per se). :-)
http://www.myspace.com/that1guy
http://www.myspace.com/bucketheadfann
http://www.myspace.com/bucketheadnfriends
~Dan
REVIEW: Eric John Kaiser @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – – 1/17/08)
Well, this was my first show of 2008…
Eric John Kaiser played tonight at Cozmic Pizza. One of the best things about living in a small town is that we can catch an early show (7pm), have a wonderful meal (pesto, artichoke, garlic, vegan-cheese & kalamata pizza with a wonderful pint of local Ninkasi stout), and still be home by 9pm. Fuck yeah.
Anyway, I literally first heard of Eric John Kaiser {heretofore known as “EJK”} about a week ago. He sent me a potentially (but ultimately not) dreaded “friend request.” You know, those friend requests “from bands” you might like. Well, I usually give them a 4 second listen then mark them “DELTEATED.” Well, EJK’s music ended up being quite good… I’ve got a soft spot for French music (Jeanne Cherhal, Yann Tiersen… um… yeah, those two). And, whoa… he (EJK) is from Portland-OR (though born and raised in Paris-FR). And he was playing Cozmic Pizza in literally a week.
Well, I literally went to the show. And it was literally good. Literally.
We left at the first break (8:30pm or so), but got a good hour+ of music. he played some tunes from his CD (L’ODyssée) that I recognized… “L’animal blessé” and “Le Puzzle” (a least). He also played a french version of “Sweet Home Alabama” and a took-us-almost-all-song-to-figure-out-what-it-was version of André3000‘s “Hey Ya!” :-)
Overall a great show, great performer, and great CD (I heart CDBaby).
Next show(s): maybe UO/LCC Jazz Fest tomorrow or Saturday (if any of the artists strike my fancy)… maybe 3 Leg Torso the following Saturday… or maybe next monf’s PDX Jazz Fest (Ornette Coleman, Dave Douglas/SFJAZZ Collective, and Belà Fleck/Flecktones/Oregon Symphony Orchestra… all of which I’m mucho excitedo).
Upcoming CD(s): ah geez… the first of the 2008 Tzadik‘s have been physically conjured by the best non-for-profit (by design) record company ever… new John Zorn (Filmworks XIX: Dimitri Geller’s The Rain Horse) and Sex Mob frontman/trumpet-feasin’ Steven Bernstein‘s Diaspora Suite…
~Dan – np: The Geologic Podcast 49
Ornette Coleman -and- Dave Douglas (YAY!)
I may have a rare opportunity to see both free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman and current compositional/improvisational personal favorite Dave Douglas (playing with the SF Jazz Collective) on the same day. The Portland Jazz Festival is next month. Woot! Now I gotta see if I can swing it with the wife. *crossing fingers*
Ornette Coleman is a revolutionary saxophonist and a major influence on one of my favorite musicians of all-time (John Zorn). Ornette’s 1959 release, The Shape of Jazz to Come, is remarkable.
Dave Douglas is a brilliant modern composer/horn player. My first exposure to him was with John Zorn’s composed, yet improvisational-driven, klez-jazz quartet Masada. I quick fell in love with his trumpet sounds. His solo work and groups as band leader (Keystone, DD Quintet, etc) are fantastic modern improvisation jazz.
Re: the PDX Jazz Fest… my wife and I are going to the Bela Fleck and the Flecktones show where they’re playing with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra near the end of the fest (Feb 23rd). That should be great (I saw a similar show in Columbus-OH with the BF&tF and the Promusica Chamber Orchestra). Jazz pianist Anat Cohen is playing that same day (but way earlier in the afternoon)… and I know I can’t work that into our schedule… sadly. She’s good…
~Dan – np: Ornette Coleman – The Shape of Jazz to Come
REVIEW: David Bazan [Pedro the Lion] @ Indigo District (Eugene, OR – – 12/13/07)
Ah… the out-of-place statues, randomly sticky floors, quite decent beer selection and open room with a stage right by the kitchen makes the Indigo District a perplexing place. It’s got great things, weird things, bad things, and ambivalence on top of great music. I’d only been here once before, and that was for the 25th anniversary shindig for Eugene Weekly to which my wife’s boss invited us. First time for a concert… I’m sure it won’t be the last if they get artists like David Bazan coming through more often. But it is an odd place… I just can’t put my finger on why. Eh… it’s gotta be the statues.
I showed up at 8:15 or so. I thought I was going to be late (ie- halfway into the opener’s set). Apparently the artists were late getting out of San Francisco from the night before; so they weren’t on schedule. I had a pint of Deschutes’ Black Butte Porter (sidenote: “butte” is pronounced like the beginning of “beautiful”). It’s fantastic, and it travelled only 2 hours away from Bend, Oregon to get to my mouf. Anyway, as I was sipping my beer, I hear a familiar voice… it was David Bazan ordering a pitcher of Blue Moon for he and his tour mates. The bartender was doing too many things at once and started pouring a pitcher of Blue Moon, then stopped, did something else, then started filling the rest of the pitcher with Pabst Blue Ribbon. Oy! Luckily David and Co. didn’t end up with that concoction. Blech.
Before the music started, I ran into David again in the facilities. After handwashing pleasantries, I asked him if he came through Eugene often, as I just moved here from Cincinnati. To which he said that he liked to stop by here, but it was the first time at this venue. Then we had a small exchange about the Southgate House (a quaint indie rock venue in the Cincinnati area).
By this time, the opener J.Tillman was playing. He played about 45 minutes. He was quite pleasant. His voice was what I’d call smooth, yet right on the edge of raspy… but not raspy. I don’t know. I was trying to characterize it last night, but just couldn’t. I enjoyed his set… check him out on MySpace sometime…
Next up came David Bazan… who has also recorded under the monikers of Pedro the Lion (indie rock) and Headphones (electronic). Perhaps his music can be described as indie rock or electric-fuzzy singer-songwriter fare. I dig him mainly for his poignant lyrics. His lyrics are witty, against the grain, many times religious in a somewhat skeptic slant, and usually full of sarcasm or what people want to say but never do. I also love David’s down-to-earth persona. His banter via the “Q&A” breaks in the set really connect the audience to the performance… and the answers are usually funny.
He only played about an hour, as the venue had a time limit (they had dance time after the show) and David and J got off to a later start than planned. It was just David, an electric guitar and a microphone. Oh, and an amp.
Here’s the setlist:
Cigarettes and Beer
When They Really Get to Know You They Will Run
(No Name) per David [new]
Please Baby Please [new]
Transcontinental
Of Minor Prophets and Their Prostitute Wives
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (with add’l Bazan lyrics)
Harmless Sparks / Fewer Moving Parts
Foregone Conclusions
Curse Your Branches [new]
(something with “look the other way” in the lyrics) I didn’t recka’nize it
Hallelujah [L.Cohen]
Great show. Short, but good nonetheless. I’m glad he still plays “Foregone Conclusions.” The 2nd verse has some of my favorite lyrics of his ever.
If’n y’all want to hear some music from this tour… the show in Asheville-NC is posted here for free download >> hardtofindafriend.blogspot.com <<
Well, that’s all for now…
~Dan – np: Rob Price Quartet – I Really Do Not See the Signal
REVIEW: Reptet @ Cozmic Pizza (Eugene, OR – – 12/9/07)
Well, the first thing I want to say is “shame on you, Eugene.” Just because school is out, that’s no reason to not hang about town to hear some wonderful music!! The crowd at Cozmic Pizza was very small on this particular Sunday evening… which I blame on school letting out only 2 days prior, this being primarily a college town, and Sunday night at 9pm not being conducive to concert-going anyhow. Cozmic is usually hoppin’ (and a great place to get a local Oatmeal Stout and a great slice of pizza). Cozmic also having nutritional yeast available on their condiment rack is niiiice. Regardless of the lackluster crowd size, the band played on and seemed to be having a wonderful time trying out some new tunes for us.
The band was/is a sextet from Seattle comprised of Izaak Mills on reeds (sax & clarinet) & flute, Samantha Boshnack on various horns (primarily trumpet), Christopher Credit on reeds (sax & clarinet) and a (mini) trombone, Nelson Bell on trombone & tuba, Tim Carey on bass (upright & electric), and John Ewing on drums. All members tended to throw their hat into the percussion ring throughout the night. They played for just over an hour solid.
The tunes I jotted down that they played: “Eve of Threve”, “Chicken or Beef”, and “Fish Market.” They also played a latin-sounding number, a rabbit/carrot number and few other tunes mixed in. They were fun on stage, cheering and ranting and even walking around the room on the last number. Solid musicianship, great songs, fun stage presence, and adventurous without “gettin’ all Zorn” on us (not that I’d mind that, though). :) Reptet is not smooth jazz*, but rather an adventurous sextet with great sense of melody and playfulness.
*-Thankfully.
After talking to the band after the show, apparently the whole set was new tracks for the upcoming 3rd album. I recognized some of the names of the songs due to downloading them from the Monktail website (here).
Anyway, I fully recommend both of Reptet’s releases thus far… Reptet (2003) and Do This! (2006). Both are available online for a great package price… ie- “a steal.” I also recommend seeing them live when they come around your neck of the woods… they’re playing down the West Coast as I type this.
/ 
Check ’em out online… Reptet & MCMC…
http://www.reptet.com/
http://myspace.com/reptet (free samples)
http://www.monktail.com/ (their collaborative group/record label… tons of free tunes)
http://myspace.com/monktail (more free samples)
I’m definitely looking forward to Reptet album 3… and more Oregon visits from them. I just hope we [Oregon] show up next time.
Concerts coming up tomorrow… a free jazz show (by the Shedd Jazz Ensemble) at the 5th Street Public Market in downtown Eugene… and then David Bazan (the Pedro the Lion guy) at the Indigo District for $8. Not a bad deal, in either case. Look for a Pedro review later this week…
~Dan – np: Ken Andrews – Secrets of the Lost Satellite Tour
REVIEW: Iron & Wine @ The Crystal Ballroom (Portland, OR – – 12/2/07)
Well, the evening started with my wife finding a good parking space for us… not too far from dinner and the venue. Dinner was at the lovely Blossoming Lotus. I had the BBQ tempeh with black bean soup, ginger salad, and quinoa. My wife had the Indian bowl, which had loads of mango something-or-other on it. Pumpkin muffin and brownie parfait for dessert. Belt loosening for dessert as well. ;) Blossoming Lotus is right in downtown Portland (NW). They’re a yummy, reasonably priced, organic café, and they have a delightful cookbook as well (we bought one after our trip out here in Dec ’06).
While not having a good knowledge of I&W song names (outside of the obvious ones), this is gonna be a total “cheater review”… here’s a setlist from another show on this tour:
Peace Beneath the City
Innocent Bones
On Your Wings
Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car
White Tooth Man *FAV*
House by the Sea
The Devil Never Sleeps
Boy With A Coin *FAV*
Sodom, South Georgia
Carousel
Upward Over The Mountain
Jezebel *FAV*
Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog)
Resurrection Fern
The Sea And The Rhythm
Flightless Bird, American Mouth
—
History of Lovers
The PDX show was not too far off this one. Well, actually, we left at the song right before the encore (long drive ahead of us in the rain); so I can’t vouch at all for the encore selection. Cheater review, indeed.
Definitely a good show. The opener, Califone, was also enjoyable. I heard some of their selections on their MySpace page, and I wasn’t necessarily giddy. I’ll admit — I was busy that day; so I really didn’t give them a fair listen. Anyway, I really liked their more jammy, experimental elements.
Iron and Wine came on about 10:20 and played for a good hour and half… good mix of songs (as noted by the cheater setlist above). I loved Sam Beam’s whispy delivery, but oft-times the band got in the way of his vocals/guitar. I think it’d be good to see a more stripped down version of Iron & Wine, but this show was a treat as well.
Oh, if you want to hear a streaming concert… NPR has the Washington DC 9:30 Club show from earlier this year HERE. It’s also downloadable if you get their “NPR Live Concert” podcast.
Oh, the venue… weird set-up. Show was on the 3rd floor. The ballroom was split up with a big barrier segregating the drinkers from non-drinkers. There were odd paintings on the wall and pretty ugly plastic-looking chandeliers. Ugly… but they (Crystal Ballroom) definitely get some good artists coming through… heck, just this week: Iron & Wine, Cake, Tegan & Sara, Jon Butler Trio, The Shins.
~Dan – np: Doug Pinnick – Strum Sum Up
REVIEW: Hot Club Eugene @ Luna Café (Eugene, OR – – 10/12/07)
Hot Club Eugene (myspace link), named and styled after Quintette du Hot Club de France (fronted by Stéphane Grappelli & Django Reinhardt), played last night at the Luna Café in lovely downtown Eugene.
I showed up right on time (8:30pm), but little did I know that that was actually late… the room was packed. That’s a great thing for great music, though. Keep the house full, they get to keeping playing out. Anyway, HCE’s violinist (Brian Price) was chatting to some folks and when he went up to play, I saw that they had an extra seat (and they were kind enough to let me use it). Score!
They started their set, and I’m blaming the packed room on my lack of getting any Willamette Pinot Noir. It was all sold out. ::grumble:: Regardless of my failing to score some last night, I do love living in an area with such great music and such great local wines and beers. It’s a yummy town.
Anyway, back to the music… I only had time (and ocular fortitude) to stay for their first hour set. They played a solid mix of self-penned tunes and standards. One thing that struck me after the first few songs was that… hey, this jazz group is all strings – – violin, lead guitar, two rhythm guitars, and a contrabass. Usually you tend to see some reeds, brass, keys, or skins thrown in the jazz mix. My personal jazz preferences goes somewhat towards the brass of a Miles Davis/Dave Douglas/Steven Bernstein or reedwork of an Ornette Coleman/John Zorn/Chris Potter, but this Hot Club Eugene all-string quintet had a great sound. The two rhythm guitars (Jim Lichens & Ben Doidge) and contrabass (Hamilton Mays) had a really full, percussive-at-times rhythm section.
The two lead men, Brian Price on violin and Spencer Doidge on lead guitar, really piqued my interest in the music. It makes me want to go out and check out some of Stéphane & Django’s groundwork… and, n’doy, come back and check out Hot Club Eugene very soon!!
Packed room as it was, there was still a lively/dancy crowd. At the get-go, there were only two people dancing. After only mild prompting, a small gang of folks bounced around up front. Great show overall, and I look forward to seeing them again soon… the wife and I will just know to show up earlier to get a good table… and the Pinot Noir. ::prospective yum::
~Dan
np: radiohead – in rainbows
REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ The Shedd (Eugene, OR – – 10/5/07)
Nellie McKay at the John G. Shedd Institute in downtown Eugene, OR – Fri, Oct 5th
We got to the venue right at 7:30. It’s a quaint music hall that was obviously converted from a church back in the day. There are hymnal racks and communion “empty” holders on the back of each pew. Anyway, Nellie ended up showing up late, as she was flying in from San Fran that afternoon. They pushed back the show only 30 minutes. There was no opener; so we wandered around the Institute for a bit. There’s a place to have dinner before the show… so that’s something to keep in mind for next time. There was also a nice “living room” where they had the concessions and merch. Amongst the concessions was a bottle of wine with Nellie’s picture pasted over the label. A local winery was one of the hosts/sponsors of the concert, and I suppose they were having fun.
We got to our seats and didn’t really like their location (quite right of center with Nellie’s piano blocking any chance of us seeing Nellie sing). The audience seemed to be showing up late; so we moved over to the (better) left side… only had to move over for people with tickets for our seats once (not bad).
Anyway, she played a great mix of songs from all three of her albums, as well as many standards, and some possibly not-so-standards. Here’s what I jotted down as the setlist (forgive the few that I had no clue on and couldn’t find info on from The Internets):
SET
Change the World
Clonie (start/stop… she complained that she needed to do it “punchier” and restarted it)
In a Sentimental Mood [Duke Ellington]
Oversure
Gin Rummy
The Dog Song
Toto Dies
Won’t U Please B Nice
Yodel
Cupcake
The Down Low (start/stop…. she messed up near the beginning of the song… then said how famous people either have “drugs or a teleprompter” and this show’s too cheap for either of those… then she restarted it…)
Columbia is Bleeding
http://www.columbiacruelty.com
http://www.stopcolumbia.org
Prisoner of Love (beautiful & haunting…) [Kitty Wells version]
Pounce (we sing this to our puppy a lot… a lot…)
Politan
Mother of Pearl
(switched to electric Ukelele)
If I Were a Bell [from “Guys and Dolls”]
Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter [Herman’s Hermits]
(back to piano)
I Wanna Get Married
A-Tisket, A-Tasket [Ella Fitzgerald]
There You Are In Me
Lali Est Paresseux
Mein Auto Zoom (thx for the title, nightlight)
Me Gusta Mañana (thx for the title, nightlight)
(back to front mic… singing to CD)
ZOMBIE!! (she went all out… and it was hilarious…)
Encore:
“Oh Freddie, I’m sorry…” (I don’t know what song this was)
…some song with something about “Jesus on toast” in it
Sari
Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans [Louis Armstrong]
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
It was a fantastic, hour and 45 minute set (or so) from this energetic songstress. She truly seemed to be having a fun time up on stage, and the audience also had a blast. She had a signing session in the living room after the show. Had we known that was gonna happen, I would’a pulled out my VegNews issue with her big article… alas, we didn’t know. Nor did we want to fight the crowd to talk to her… Margarita was tired from working all day, and I was tired from doing geometric average annual returns and stock correlation homework all day. So we called it a night…
Check out some of Nellie’s tunes:
Or check out VegNews:
Anyway… I hope to see Nellie again sometime. I’m glad we finally got to see her yesterday after being a fan of her music for going on 5 years… :-)
~Dan
now playing: groundtruther (charlie hunter & bobby previte) with john medeski – altitude
REVIEW: That 1 Guy and Grynch @ John Henry’s (Eugene, OR – – 9/18/07)
Well, I think I’ll start posting concerts reviews here… as my “other outlet” is now not available to me (probably for the best).
On Tuesday night, I had the great opportunity to catch one of my favorite one-man musical freak-shows… That 1 Guy (http://www.that1guy.com/). I’d seen him twice before at the Mad Frog in Cincinnati, Ohio. I moved across country for school with my wife and puppy, and what do you know? T1G was playing here less than 2 weeks after we arrived. Yay!
Anyway, I started the evening with a fantastic meal (gardenburger w/ bleu) and beer choice (a Brother Thelonious Belgian-style ale) at the Eugene City Brew Pub. I walked around the corner to John Henry’s for the early show (it started at 7:30pm). I, luckily, got to catch most of the opening set by local metal band Grynch. They seemed to me to be a good combination of what I like in the Deftones and Fear Factory. They were also fairly tight on stage, and had a very professional sound. A welcome surprise to what you usually end up with local openers.
That1Guy came on around 8:30 perhaps? I don’t know… but it was good to see him set-up the pipe (how does he get it through customs when doing his Aussie gigs?). For those of you who aren’t familiar with That1Guy… well, he plays what most would consider to be plumbing (see picture below). Yet I’ve come to the realization after three shows and many spins of his CDs that he’s not even close to being a novelty act. He makes such well-conceived rhythms and melodies from his triggered-up & strung-up pipe, kick drums, magic saw, and tabla-stylized cowboy boot. His lyrics are usually plays on words and rhyme-y nonsense, but the main draw is his ferocity and skill in wielding that magic pipe to do his bidding. It’s a drum machine and stringed-instrument all in one. Truly a sight to see…
He played songs from his two albums (Songs in the Key of Beotch and the new The Moon is Disgusting)… Bananas, Oranges, the Moon is Disgusting, Buttmachine, Birds, Weasel Potpie… et cetera. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and the crowd seemed uber-into-it as well.
http://www.that1guy.com/
http://www.myspace.com/that1guy
the opener: http://www.myspace.com/grynch
~Dan
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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